Lovely
by LovelyObject
Summary: A twist on the star-studded world of fame. Kagome's the star, shooting to fame, Sango's the half-crazed manager keeping her in check, Miroku's the "hands-on" director, Inuyasha's the fan, and Shippo's the pocky-munching nephew!
1. My Fair Lady

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. The lovely Rumiko Takahashi does.

A/N: My second drabble series! This is the plot bunny that's been building itself up like a tumor in my head…

**Lovely**

My Fair Lady

_9a.m., the T hotel_

Sango knocked on the door to her precious star's suite. It was precisely 9 a.m. according to the brand-new Rolex she wore on her wrist. There were things to be done, places to be seen, and people to meet with. Of course, none of the hoopla was for her. It was for her star… and maybe also for her salary.

No response.

She furrowed her brow. Readjusting the breakfast tray she carried, she knocked again. "Kagome?"

Nothing.

"Kagome?"

Utter silence.

"HIGURASHI KAGOME ANSWER THE DOOR THIS MINUTE!"

_9a.m., Café Rendezvous, top floor of the Roppongi Uptown shopping complex_

"She looks familiar."

"I swear I've seen that girl somewhere before…"

"_She's _the one in those perfume commercials!"

"Isn't she the one on that new drama on TV?"

Whispers ran rampant through the café, swirling in the air like dandelion seeds on a windy day.

The center of the commotion was a doll-like girl in a big hat and sunglasses perched on a chair by the enormous windowpane, taking in Tokyo's morning skyline. She had paired a casual cotton dress with too-tall wedges, perfect for the summer heat. A large white handbag was draped over the corner of the chair. The glamorous space was half-filled with people, and quiet morning conversation buzzed through the venue.

"Your yogurt parfait has arrived, Miss," a handsome waiter addressed her politely, bowing as he set her breakfast in front of her.

"Thank you," she replied sweetly.

He smiled at her, nodded, and then slipped away to check on another table.

_I wonder if Sango's found out yet…_ she wondered. Kagome checked her cell phone for the time. It read exactly 9a.m. Yes, she decided, giggling to herself. Sango had most definitely discovered that she was missing.

"_Shiroi bara no hana—_"the small machine sang out as caller ID popped up. UMI SANGO_, _it flashed. A picture of her manager grinned out at her from the screen.

"Hello," Kagome picked up before two seconds had passed.

"Kagome." A dreadful, icy tone promising death came through the phone.

"Today, I'm Yuuki," the starlet replied, perfectly chipper in the face of her imminent demise.

"No, you are not," Sango growled back. "You are Higurashi Kagome, and you are scheduled for a dress fitting at two p.m. after lunch with that up-and-coming director Rika at one—"

"It seems like Higurashi Kagome has a very busy day," Kagome grinned into the receiver. "But don't worry, because I'm sure that she'll be on time for everything. After all, I've heard that she's got the most _amazing_ manager that keeps her under tabs. It was really nice talking to you, Sango."

"Higurashi Kagome, you had better tell me where you are this instant. I'm going to send a car for you."

_Click._ Kagome pressed the END CALL button, ignoring her manager.


	2. My Darling Doll

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. The lovely Rumiko Takahashi does.

A/N: Isn't revenge always lovely?

**Lovely**

My Darling Doll

_2p.m., Roppongi Hills_

Kagome strolled leisurely down the street, a half-finished ice-cold coffee-flavored bubble tea in one hand and a bag half her size dangling from the other. Its white leather was practically skimming the ground; only two inches of space separated it from the sidewalk. Her small legs atop her too-tall shoes made her look like a glammed-up summer-edition Licca-chan.

"Excuse me…" a little girl in a fluffy orange mini-dress bowed slightly in front of her. "Are you Higurashi Kagome?"

Kagome stopped to consider the small child. Big, luminescent brown eyes stared up at her, eagerly waiting for her response. The child couldn't have been more than four feet tall, but Kagome towered over her anyways by over a foot and a half. She peered down at the girl through her giant sunglasses, sipping at her bubble tea.

"Of course not," the not-so-incognito idol responded. She lifted the tinted lenses enough to give the girl a wink. "I'm Yuuki."

The little girl almost fainted. "Oh my gosh," she breathed in awe. "Oh my gosh, it's really you!" she squealed quietly, wrapping her arms around one of Kagome's legs.

"Shhh," Kagome shushed her, smiling bemusedly. "What's your name?"

"Taru," the child replied in a hushed tone. "My name is Taru."

Reaching into her purse for a thick-tipped marker, Kagome fished out both the pen and the spare watch she always kept on hand. "To Taru," she said as she scrawled on the watch's back. "be happy!" Finishing her signature with a flourish, she handed the gift to Taru, patted the child on the head, and swept away from the scene, leaving an awestruck little girl behind.

Kagome smiled to herself. It was a job well done. From the paparazzi's position, they would see an idol giving back to her fans, and from the fans' point of view, they would see their beloved idol interacting with a child and being all the more beloved for it.

Although, now she needed a replacement for her spare.

Fucking damn it.

_2p.m., suite 2101, study room_

"No, I want a thirty-second ad, not a fifteen-second ad. It should run throughout the day," Sango repeated to the man on the other end of the line. She tapped her pen on the desk irritably. There was nothing worse than an incompetent person.

"_So a thirty-second ad running throughout the day? It's a montage of her most memorable moments, right?"_

"Yes, that's right," she almost sighed in relief. At least this man could understand basic human-talk.

_4p.m., Yumi Café_

Inuyasha's neck hurt. He was bent over a math textbook, solving a particularly hard set of equations.

Take one bite of a choux pastry.

Do a problem.

A gulp of cool coffee. Kind of nasty, but bearable.

Do a problem.

He was tuning out the outside world, left in his own little sphere of concentration.

Until, that is, all hell broke loose.

"Oh my god!"

"This can't be real."

"Get your phone out, quick!"

"Are you writing this down?"

"Hurry up!"

Shouts rang out across the café as people scrambled for their mobiles. Inuyasha looked up to see what the commotion was about, pushing his glasses back into their proper place on his nose.

What he saw made him freeze, forgetting all calculations.

"_Won't you spend some time with me?"_ Up on the TV in the café's corner, Higurashi Kagome was posing the question to all of Tokyo. The shot was taken from a scene in her movie, _Sweetheart._ While a montage of shots featuring the beautiful idol played across the screen, text ran beneath the pictures.

WIN THE CHANCE TO SPEND A WEEKEND WITH JAPAN'S PREMIER IDOL, HIGURASHI KAGOME!


	3. Lookalike

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. The lovely Rumiko Takahashi does.

A/N: Big thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys are the reason why I'm writing this so fast.

**Lovely**

Lookalike

* * *

_5:00p.m., Mugen Watch Store_

Quiet music played in the store from the hidden speakers installed along the walls and in the ceiling. It soothed the customers that were browsing through the rows of glass displays.

Kagome skimmed her fingers across the glass as she glanced at the pricey luxuries encased within.

A store clerk, clearly enthralled by the tiny, doll-like idol followed her around as she perused the merchandise on display. Of course, so that he wouldn't creep her out, he trailed her by a good ten feet in a professional, nonchalant manner.

Kagome smiled smugly from beneath the brim of her hat. She stood in front of a plexiglass cube perched on top of a counter, enclosing a single display that showcased Mugen's latest, trendiest watch. It would be absolutely enormous on her tiny wrist, but that wouldn't matter. She would just keep in her bag for when she needed it – the crux of the issue at hand was that it was the new _It_ watch.

And _It_ was always hers.

"Soun," she didn't stop to turn around as she called on her tagalong.

"Y-yes ma'am!" Soun rushed to her side immediately, not at all intimidated that she knew his name without his giving it. His hidden fanboy, despite all efforts, was blantantly showing through his professional façade.

"Please get me one of these." Kagome fished around in her purse for her credit card. "My wrist measures 5 and a half inches."

Soun blanched. "There's…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Kagome cut in and finished it for him, handing over her BLACK plastic. In layman's terms, the card was the most sought-after in Japan, obtainable by invitation-only, and required at least 25 million yen be spent with it per year. "No problem, right?"

"Actually…"

"What is it, Soun?" Kagome smiled, a warning behind her perfectly white teeth.

"It's out of stock…" he could feel the sweat pooling under his armpits. Today was not his day.

"No, it's not," she corrected him. "Because I _know_ that there's one in this store. It's _right there,_" she pointed at the watch in the case. "And if you don't have any in stock, then you're going to fit that one to my wrist and I am going to walk out of here in fifteen minutes with my purchase as a _very_ happy customer."

* * *

_5:00p.m., Yumi Café _

Inuyasha pondered over what to do. There were only two hours left before the sweepstakes ended.

It wouldn't hurt to enter, right? Especially in this. Kikyo adored Higurashi Kagome – she had even gotten a nose job to look like the idol. And surely if he entered, and won, then his existence would finally register on Kikyo's radar.

Exactly, right?

What better way to win over the girl of his dreams than to spend a weekend with her idol?

And if the Kagome girl turned out to be a total brat, then he could at least imagine Kikyo being there in her stead. After all, Kikyo was a near-exact lookalike.

He dialed the entry hotline.

* * *

_5:00p.m., suite 2101, sitting room_

Sango sat in an armchair, straightbacked, legs crossed demurely, with a cup of nice, steaming tea in her hands.

She was pleased. Inordinately so. Checking her watch, she calculated the time it would take before her _precious _star found out what had happened in her absence.

There were exactly nine hours left.


	4. Good Night

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. The lovely Rumiko Takahashi does.

A/N: I love my reviewers. You all make my day so much better! This quick turnaround happens because you guys are just that awesome.

**Lovely**

Good Night

* * *

_10p.m., T hotel bar_

There were over twenty million entries in the sweepstakes in the past eight hours since the ads began to run. And out of those twenty million-plus people, only one could win. Not to mention the other fans who were probably entering at this very moment. Maybe it was a prank gone too far?

"One vodka on the rocks, please," Sango slid onto a padded barstool, pulling out her laptop from the depths of her giant carryall. It was up to her to select a winner, the one _very_ lucky person who would receive the privilege of being swept out to Kagome's personal living quarters: the twenty-first floor of the T hotel.

He, because the winner had to be a he to stir up some headlines, would stay in his own suite on her floor, much like how Sango and Kagome's prep team had theirs.

Data kept flowing into the spreadsheet that her techies had set up online to track the mini-profiles that contestants gave. To narrow her search, Sango hit the filter button and entered the requirements that the potential candidates had to meet.

1. Male.

2. Between the ages of 17 and 24, to match Kagome's own 19.

3. Physically attractive. No one wanted to see some pimply fat kid win.

4. A decent, but not overly wealthy background. No one wants to see the already-privileged get even more than they already had.

"Your drink, ma'am," the bartender smiled amiably at her, feeling slight pity towards the agent.

"Thanks," Sango nodded at the man. After waiting the appropriate few minutes, she knocked the entire glass back, grateful for the strong liquor.

There were still eight million entries to sift through.

* * *

_10p.m., the streets of Tokyo_

Kagome loved the lights of Tokyo at night. It was incredibly bright and sparkly – just as the things she liked best were.

But it had been a long day…

And she didn't feel like going back home.

The mere thought of heading back for a scolding put her off. She just wasn't in the mood to deal with Sango's craziness. Ever the instant remedy, she whipped out her cellphone and hit the "1" key, speed dialing the person who best cheered her up. Kagome held out her arm, waiting to flag down a cab.

"Hello?" a suave, flirtatious voice answered the phone.

His voice made her smile immediately. "Hello." A cab was slowing down in front of her.

"How's my favorite angel doing?" he sounded amused that she called. The sounds of an indignant girl were faint in the background, making it obvious that he was occupied.

"Well, thank you. What're you up to?" She hopped inside the waiting vehicle, jotting down an address to show the driver.

"Absolutely nothing." His grin was audible through the phone.

"Let's have a party."

"Now?" he sounded surprised. "When was the last time you partied?"

"Too long ago."

"I'll call everyone. When are you coming?"

"I'm already here."

* * *

_10p.m., Miura household_

"Let's see… Caramel pudding recipe…" Inuyasha flipped through the twelfth pastry book that night. Pudding was easy to make – it only required eggs, sugar, and milk to make. Healthy, and delicious. Well, maybe not so healthy… but it certainly tasted good.

And not one of these stupid books contained a decent recipe. Every one asked for gelatin, or cornstarch, or some other convoluted ingredient that he had no interest in using.

Chucking the last book, he gave a longsuffering sigh.

"Imagination, then…"


	5. Nighttime Discoveries

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. The lovely Rumiko Takahashi does.

A/N: A few things:

1. I'm sorry sorry sorry that this is so horrifically appallingly late! The next time this happens, feel free to pm me with unhappy messages demanding the next chapter.

2. Happy belated Thanksgiving and Thanksgetting!

3. You know what? I actually don't like the way that I'm writing Inuyasha. Makes him a little too sweet. Yeesh. Sweet Inuyasha. Yeesh. Only in small doses for me, thanks. It's best if he's the gruff, blunt, clueless guy we all know and love instead of a soft, sweet, can-cook-something-other-than-ramen version, huh? Gotta come up with a few deep-rooted issues for this guy that match with the personality I've already established…

**Lovely**

Nighttime Discoveries

_10:15pm, Azuma household_

Kagome waltzed into the apartment complex, perfectly at home inside the granite-and-glass building. A ribbon of water spilled over a statue at one end of the lobby, falling gracefully into a stone koi pond at the statue's feet. Something about the traditional modernity gave her a feeling of peace, making her feel relaxed and happy. Even the elevator ride was like that – the building's manager had made sure that no tacky elevator music was playing.

She disembarked the suspended box at the penthouse apartment, stepping into another beautiful lobby. This time, marble and glass greeted her. The pure white here was a steep contrast to the steady blackness before. She brushed past the various potted flora, unlocking the door to the main apartment with her set of keys and sweeping inside, leaving the door open for the rest of the crowd that was about to come.

Blown-up pictures from several high-end modeling campaigns hung on the walls of the corridor. The prints were sandwiched between two plexiglass plates, adding to the modern white feeling the entire building emanated. Kagome grinned when she paused in front of the ramen ad.

For some reason, this print was her favorite; even over the underwear shot that showcased her friend's perfectly sculpted abs and strong shoulders. He was bent over a bowl of hot ramen as the steam swirled up from it, holding a pair of chopsticks loaded with noodles. A look of utter contentment graced his face as he took a bite. In the lower right hand corner, the company had stamped its name alongside a cartoonish bowl of noodles.

"Doll, is that you?" the very man in the photos came walking down the hall on her left. It was obvious that he had had recent company – he reeked of women's perfume and there was a slight, smeared red mark on his ear. Even his clothes showed signs of it. His shirt, which was normally pressed to perfection, was rumpled, and the elastic that kept his hair in its braid was about to fall out.

Kagome snorted.

"Where is she?"

He gave her a look of feigned surprise. "What _ever_ are you saying?"

Kagome wagged a well-manicured finger at him. "You should never kick a lady out for my sake."

He grinned mischievously. "Of course not."

A look of surprise shot across Kagome's face. "Really?"

"Pourquoi prenez-vous si longtemps?" Before her friend could even respond to her half-question, a perfectly tanned, long-legged beauty wrapped herself around him.

"Right," he said, a playfully teasing tone to his voice. "I'm the perfect gentleman."

Kagome laughed, and the model wrapped around him gave a confused look. "Are you? She's asking what's taking you."

"You speak French?"

"Qui est elle?" Turning from her host, who was very obviously ignoring her, she faced Kagome. "Erm, hoo arr yoo?" Her accent was adorably thick.

"Je suis Higurashi Kagome," Kagome spoke flawlessly, giving the girl an almost-pitying smile. The model nodded back enthusiastically.

"Hey, great!" He beamed. "Could you tell her that there's going to be a party here? She can help prep."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "What's the point? It's not like there's any prep really needed. Mukotsu's gonna take care of the poison, and Renkotsu's covering music. Jakotsu will party-proof the house. You've got the guest list, so that's about it. And," she gave the girl a once-over, "I don't think she's dumb enough to not recognize a party."

Apparently giving up on Bankotsu, the girl turned back to Kagome. She had figured out thus far from the word 'party' that something was happening soon. "Quelle sorte de fête?"

The soft _ping_ of the elevator interrupted Kagome before she could respond.

Voice floated from the lobby into the hallway.

"Ooh, and we have guests," Bankotsu announced, happily detaching himself from the poor Frenchie.

_1:00a.m., suite 2101_

Sango had sifted through what felt like millions of profiles. What was even worse was that she had actually sifted through millions of profiles. In total, there had been far more than just twenty million entries. Those entries from the first time she had checked were the ones from only the Tokyo area, not counting the other national and international entries. How word spread so quickly astounded her, especially since the ad was only run in the Tokyo area.

She was too tired to even sigh about it anymore.

"Let's see…" she poked the button on the screen that read RANDOM. It randomized the order of all the profiles in the database immediately. "How about…" she closed her eyes and scrolled up and down the list as erratically as she could. "You!"

Her finger landed on a name, and she prayed that this kid would be appropriately attractive. It was just so damn hard to find a guy hot enough to hold his own against her star. Tentatively, she opened the file.

Name: Miura Inuyasha

Age: 20

Sex: Male

Height: 183cm

Weight: 70kg

Education: Currently at Tokyo U

It went on like that, giving his background and other such things. Of course, at this point, Sango only cared enough to skim the thing and check his photo.

_Good looking?_ Check. The limited search took care of that.

_Hot enough?_ He made her cut.

Decision made.

With another series of quick clicks and tapping out a short, sweet message, she sent him an email notifying the lucky boy that yes, he had indeed won the much-coveted honor of spending a weekend with the lovely Higurashi Kagome and made arrangements for their personal chauffer to pick him up.

Sango leaned back in her bed and closed her laptop at last.

Done.

_3:00a.m., Azuma household_

Kagome collapsed onto the fluffy feather bed, relishing its soft comfort.

Aside from a few straggling guests, the aftermath of the party left the furniture in complete disarray and lent a happy, exhausted air to the house.

"Tired, doll?" Bankotsu brought over two of Mukotsu's creations.

Kagome wrinkled her nose and took the drink. "Did he put liquorice in here?" The liquid in the glass was a strange purple-black color.

"I have no idea. He calls it Crack Plum." Bankotsu shrugged and leaned back on the pillows next to her. "Don't spill it on these sheets – I don't know if the stains'll come out."

Kagome laughed. "Turn on the telly, will you? I want to see what's on." This was not strictly true. Kagome didn't really watch television – she just wanted noise in the room.

Bankotsu flipped the remote control, and the news channel came up.

A pretty woman with a lot of botox popped up onto the screen, a cheery smile on her face. "_And in an interesting bit of news, the spend-a-weekend-with-Higurashi-Kagome sweepstakes has recently garnered a lot of attention. Did you know that the odds of winning this sweepstakes were slimmer than winning the lottery?_"

Kagome sat up straight immediately.

Bankotsu snickered behind her. "The spend-a-weekend-with-Higurashi-Kagome sweepstakes?"

"Sango," Kagome breathed. She was in a state of shock.

"Oh," Bankotsu said, catching on. "She did this without telling you? What'd you do to piss her off like that?"


	6. Daytime Discoveries

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. The lovely Rumiko Takahashi does.

A/N: Have you noticed how these chapters seem to be getting longer and longer? Pretty soon they won't be falling into the "drabble" category anymore. Hey, at the end of this thing, maybe we'll be at 10k words a chapter? Who knows…

**Lovely**

Daytime Discoveries

_7:00a.m., Miura household_

Today was the day. Today, he would find out. Today would decide how his weekend would go.

Today was the day he got his math test back.

Inuyasha pushed his way out of bed, knocking down the towering mountain of pillows that he surrounded himself with at night, and disturbing Ryuu, the big black-and-white checkered dog sleeping at the foot of the bed.

"Rrr…" a low, half-hearted growl came from underneath the heap of dislodged pillows.

For emphasis, Inuyasha dropped an extra pillow on top of where Ryuu used to be.

"Grrr…."

Inuyasha laughed. "Buddy, I feed you. Can't growl at me."

Ryuu shuddered slightly, causing the pillows to shake a bit. A couple of the topmost ones came toppling down, landing on the floor with a faint thud.

Inuyasha ignored Ryuu, instead discarding his pajamas and pulling on his favorite jeans and T-shirt. The shirt blared its message to the world with pride and a picture of a lemon: WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS… SQUEEZE THEM INTO PEOPLES' EYES.

A faint buzzing came from his desk. The poor thing looked like it was on its last legs already – the middle part was beginning to cave in from the weight of at least ten textbooks, a desktop computer, a printer, various knickknacks, and other miscellaneous items.

He went over to investigate the source of the buzzing, not minding the dirty clothes he stepped over on his way there.

It was his cellphone, emitting a rude white glare as it buzzed to alert him that he had a call. Shooting the little piece of machinery a dirty look, he picked it up and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, is this Miura Inuyasha?_" A cool, measured tone came from the other end.

Inuyasha was puzzled at who would call him this early. "Yeah, why? Who is this?"

"_This is Kobayashi Sango, Higurashi Kagome's manager. I'm calling to tell you that a car will arrive at your residence at four o'clock in the afternoon, sharp, to take you to her residence._"

He froze. "What?"

_7:30a.m., suite 2101_

Sango placed the phone back in its receiver, almost giddy at the looming prospect of meeting this lucky winner. Her impulse was turning out to be quite the successful headliner. Every major news network had done something on this sweepstakes given out by Higurashi Kagome.

Except, Higurashi Kagome wasn't the one who gave it out.

But that wasn't her problem.

Sango sat back at the desk and allowed herself a few moments to gloat internally about this new victory over her star. Of course, it would only last until said star returned home, but until then, this was her win.

_8:00a.m., the T hotel_

Kagome was pissed.

She was _not_ spending her weekend with some kid who would only get underfoot.

Today, she was determined to be with one less manager.

Except that that manager was doing a hell of a good job. And was the only manager who she actually trusted not to embezzle from her.

Bloody hell.

Kagome marched into the hotel's elevator, unlocked her floor, and jabbed the button that read '21' with as much force as she could muster.

The headache that was starting to grow somewhere around her left temple and was being severely aggravated by the soft elevator music.

_Ping._

She stepped out of the moving box into her foyer and took a deep breath. In, out. Those specially designed yoga classes? Bullshit.

Kagome threw down her coat and bag violently, not bothering to kick off her heels as she stormed down the hallway. Her maid, Ayu, nodded and bowed as she went by, scurrying to pick up and put her discarded belongings away. It wasn't long before Kagome reached the door labeled _Suite 2101_.

Another deep breath.

Mental note to fire the yoga teacher.

_Three._

_Two._

_One._

With a loud _boom_, the door to Sango's private rooms burst open.

_8:10a.m., suite 2101_

Sango looked up from her romance novel as a very angry, very disheveled little star burst into her room.

"Kobayashi Sango, explain yourself. Right _now._" Kagome stood on the threshold, one arm keeping the door open as the other lay at her side. Her fist was clenched so tight that the skin on her knuckles had turned white.

"Explain what?" Sango asked, bored. "How it happens to be that you're not wearing a single thing that's yours? Whose shirt is that?"

If possible, the dark cloud above her idol's head grew larger. "Explain WHY there is a FUCKING SWEEPSTAKES to spend the WEEKEND here."

"Oh," Sango shrugged. "That."

"Yes," Kagome growled back. "That."

"It's an excellent publicity move, especially since that other girl Ayame is coming back. You'll sweep her off the front pages for sure."

That silenced Kagome. She stood perfectly still as she mulled this over for a moment.

"Cancel it."

And with that, she turned on her heel and waltzed out of the room.

_3:35p.m., Miura household_

Inuyasha was stuffing the nicest clothing he owned into the best duffel bag he could find. This consisted of a grand total of ten items: a blazer, a pair of khakis, three pairs of clean, dark jeans, four shirts, and a red cardigan his mother bought him that he'd never used. Plus the necessities, like underwear, socks, and his toothbrush.

Oh, and of course a box of cookies. Girls loved cookies. This time, he had made coconut macaroons in the shape of cats. They seemed to fit their recipient: fluffy, light, innocent, and cute. Plus, she had stated on live TV that she loved cats.

Ryuu walked into the room at leisure, hopping up onto Inuyasha's bed. He spun around in circles for a while, twisting the comforter into a nest, before plopping down and licking himself.

"Hey, boy," Inuyasha sat down next to the dog and scratched him behind the ears. "You'll be OK without me, right?"

Ryuu stopped licking his back leg and nosed Inuyasha's hand, putting his head in Inuyasha's lap.

"I've left the dispenser on, so there's no food worries. And the water jug is filled, so your water bowl should be topped up too." He petted Ryuu's giant head. "Keima will be around twice a day to walk you."

Ryuu sighed, lifting his head only to drop it back into Inuyasha's lap.

"Good boy. Good Ryuu. Sorry to leave you like this."

"Rrrr."

"I'll be back in two days."

"Rrrr."

"Don't worry, I'll befriend her for sure."

"Rrrr."

"And then Kikyo might notice me, don't you think so?"

"Rrrr."

_Bzzt-bzzt. Bzzt-bzzt._ The buzzer in the hallway rang, alerting him that there was someone downstairs that wanted his attention.

"Yes?" he answered, nervous and excited.

"_Is this Miura Inuyasha's residence?_"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"_This is your chauffer. Your car is waiting for you outside the building._"

"Be right down." Inuyasha released the button and stood there by the intercom for a moment, paralyzed by the excitement of it all.

But it was only a moment. And then he ran back into his bedroom, skidding on the floor, before grabbing his jacket and bag and dashing out to the hall again.

"See you, Ryuu! Don't chew up the apartment!" He called over his shoulder as he jammed his feet into his shoes. He had dashed down the stairs from his fifteenth-floor apartment all the way down to the first floor, sometimes jumping down onto the landings and skipping the steps entirely.

"Hello, Miura-san. I am Nakamura Misaki. It is a pleasure to meet you." The chauffer bowed to Inuyasha. He motioned towards the bag Inuyasha was carrying. "Is this all your luggage?"

Inuyasha was slightly shocked and taken aback. Never before in his life had someone bowed to him. Well, except for the mâtré'ds in restaurants. And the service people in hotels. But then they bowed for customers, not for him specifically.

"Sir?"

"Oh, yeah." Inuyasha snapped out of his daze. "That's it."

"May I take it for you?"

"Um," Inuyasha looked down at his bag. "Yes, thank you."

Nakamura took the bag, opening the door for Inuyasha and seeing him in before putting it away in the trunk.

Inuyasha marveled at the inside of the car. Its seats were buttery leather, and it smelled like fresh air. None of Tokyo's pollution contaminated the air around him. A control panel to his left let him adjust the internal temperature of the car. Discreetly placed vents would carry out these functions. A drop-down mini TV appeared at the touch of a button, with selections from movies to music videos. He was a bit awed at the all the fancy things in the car.

Nakamura got back into the driver's seat and began driving, pulling out from the curb and into the busy street.

_4:00pm, suite 2100_

The car would be picking up the winner any moment now.

Sango tapped her fingers on the side table impatiently. It would take half an hour with traffic for the car to arrive at the hotel.

And thank god for that, because her star was nowhere near ready.

Kagome was currently taking an afternoon nap, dead to the world and covered in a rejuvenating sea wrap.

There were ten minutes left before Sango could storm into the super-humidified spa room and dump cold water over her star's head.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven. Sango went to fetch a bucket.

Six. She filled it with ice.

Five. She added water and stirred to melt the ice.

Four. Still stirring.

Three. Still stirring.

Two. Moving bucket and self to door of spa room.

One. Waiting for the minute to end.

Zero. Sango burst into the room, bucket in hand, and was immediately hit with a blast of wet air. It stuck to her clothes and cheeks, and she cursed internally. Her makeup would be ruined.

Kagome was lying out on a waterproof, cushioned bench, an inflatable pillow under her head. She had been rolled up in a plastic sheet with whatever materials went into a wrap. A bright orange facemask was smeared onto her face and cucumbers had been placed over her eyes. Butter had even been massaged into her feet to make them soft.

Sango marched over without any further hesitation and unceremoniously dumped the freezing water over her head.

"Holy shit!" Kagome shot up like a rocket, arms glued to her sides from the wrap. Sango let out a tiny snort. The girl looked like a vaguely plastic worm with an orange face.

"Time to get up. You have an important appointment in twenty minutes. Shower and then go get dressed. If you're fast, Sakura may be able to give you a blowout." Sango rattled off instructions to her charge.

"What the hell? You just dumped a bucket of freezing cold stuff on me, and you want me to get ready to deal with the problem you created?" Kagome narrowed her eyes at her manager. "You're fucking insane." Nonetheless, she moved to unwrap herself, spinning until the sheet fell away. She left it crumpled on the ground. Cecilia, the maid, would deal with it.

Sango eyed Kagome for a moment. "Do it quickly. I'm going to check on the final preparations."

"Good-bye, Sango." Kagome dismissed her with a wave of her hand. She turned on the shower in the corner of the room and began lathering shampoo into her hair.

"Be ready in twenty."

**End note:** I am so sorry to everyone! I'm so so so so late with this chapter, huh? I meant to get it out for Christmas, and then New Year's but my computer went and died on me. Thank god for my father's friend the techie, because he managed to finally revive it. Now I've got everything backed up on my external hard drive, so I don't think that it'll be such a terrible problem again. I promise to get the next one out soon! (Don't forget to RR~!)


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